The former estate of Robert E. Lee is now the final resting place for nearly half a million veterans, statesmen and their families. From the eternal flame at the grave of John F. Kennedy to the Tomb of the Unknowns, a history of the United States unfolds in the names and years on the headstones. A visit to Arlington is sure to be an emotional journey. Today’s 3D Thursday features a scene from the cemetery juxtaposed with a bugler blowing taps in honor of the fallen.

The bugler is not human. It is one of the most lifelike sculptures I have ever seen. The life sized statue is housed in the main administration building lobby in a plexiglas case. He stands forever with his lips to his bugle, unmoving and silently playing to everyone who passes by. This 3D photo is a departure from the norm in that I normally take one of the objects from within the image to enlarge and expand upon the borders of the photograph. Though the bugler is an interesting subject, the background in the administration lobby isn’t exactly photogenic. It made sense in this case to “move” the statue outside and place him in the midst of the heroes that he salutes. You can view my gallery of images taken at Arlington here.

All of my 3D popout images are created in Photoshop Elements. As it turned out, even though I had a lot of photos taken around the grounds at Arlington, it turned out that virtually all of them were shot with the light coming from the left. The bugler clearly is standing with his back to the light. I was almost done with processing my chosen image when I realized that the shadows on the gravestones were falling “the wrong way.” My first thought was to flip the background image horizontally, but realized that close inspection would show the writing on the gravestones to be backward. Similarly, flipping the bugler would have made him to be left handed. Fortunately, I had a single acceptable shot that was taken with light coming from the right, causing shadows to be cast in the correct direction. I hope you like my attempt at creating a scene at Arlington.

John Steiner

Standing guard above the east end of the Phoenix metro, the 3,000-foot (900 m) Superstition Mountains is a place of legends, of Jacob Walz, the Lost Dutchman Mine and incomplete treasure maps.

Even today, thousands travel every year in the search of the missing mine and the gold that legend says is waiting to be discovered. Some have found “gold” in the sale of mining gear, even in the souvenir maps purporting to lead the bearer to possible wealth and untold riches. There are many attractions in the area today. On occasion, my wife and I spend a weekend in and near the mountains, but we always stay on published trails. We leave the prospecting to others who are chasing the dream.

There is a dark side to the Superstitions. Every year there are people who seek the fortune and lose their lives in the bargain. Another legend says the mountains protect their treasure. Abandoned mines, caves and the diamondback rattlesnake are but a few of the hazards of the mountains for those foolish enough to think they might find their fortune where so many others have not.

The view of the Superstitions in the image above is my first panoramic view converted to 3D pop-out.  This view is looking east from the Apache Trail highway. The highway is one of Arizona’s iconic scenic drives, originally a stagecoach trail.   AZ 88 winds it’s 40 miles of mostly unpaved road through magnificent views of the mountains and the saguaro forests. Don’t bring your RV or motor home. You won’t like the result of this mistake. You can read about one of our weekends in the Superstitions here.

John Steiner

Coronado Island, California.

When you are in San Diego, make it a point to travel to Coronado Island. Visit the iconic Hotel Del Coronado and take a walk on the beach. You will likely find a sandcastle or two, and if you are lucky, you will get to meet Bill Pavlacka, the Sandcastle Man. Bill often spends eight hours or more creating sand sculptures. To see examples of his castle art, you can visit his website here.

Whether the work in this photograph is his or belongs to someone else is unknown to me. Since it’s not a sand castle, I suspect it’s not. But as it turned out, this sculpture featured a San Diego sunset where my castle photos were taken earlier in the day. I felt this image would make a better subject converted to the 3D popout effect. You can find out more about Coronado Island and Bill Pavlacka if you visit my original blog post here.

John Steiner